C2363 The Gathering of the Gods

In the foreign lands, the name of Stephanie, the God of Destiny, was renowned.

Upon learning that the golden-haired woman spoken of was the esteemed spiritual leader of both the Origin God and Origin Beast, Zhong Chichen quickly shed his carefree demeanor and bowed in apology, "Please forgive me, my lord!"

Stephanie had selflessly shared the method of refining the Origin Spirit with all beings, enabling the intelligent races of various worlds to break free from the servitude to the Origin Spirit. As a result, beings like the Origin Beast, Qiongqi, and the Chaos Djinn held Stephanie in high regard—a sentiment Heesters could not command.

Zhong Chichen's time in the foreign lands had been brief, and he had spent most of it traversing the Void. He had only ever heard of the God of Destiny's name and had never seen her in person. As he offered his apologies, he wished to take a good look at Stephanie's face, but felt doing so would be sacrilegious. Thus, he kept his gaze lowered.

Stephanie glanced at him and, pleased with his reverent posture, smiled and dismissed his concerns, "Ignorance is not a sin."

Relieved, Zhong Chichen hesitated before looking up at Heesters and softly proposed, "I believe I can attempt to forge a new void passageway to establish a connection with both the Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm."

He had largely assimilated the principles of the Void Law bestowed upon him by Devitt, the Space God, after much reflection. Furthermore, he had gleaned profound insights into the powers of time from the Time Book. A day within its pages equated to ten days in the external world, and his abilities had surged forward in this time, leaving him eager to demonstrate his newfound strength.

"Your aptitude truly is remarkable. It's no surprise that Devitt insisted on bringing you back to the Void after choosing you," Heesters remarked with a hint of astonishment. The pendulum on his forehead emerged, casting a soft glow upon Zhong Chichen, illuminating the numerous Bloodline Crystal Chains within his meridians, intricately linked to time and space.

"I wasn't mistaken about you either!" Heesters affirmed, nodding in approval of Zhong Chichen's accomplishments. "My journey here was well worth it."

"Then..." Heesters turned, gazing back the way they had come, contemplating whether to return to the spring's location to give Zhong Chichen a chance to try.

If the Origin Realm and Desolate Realm could be seamlessly connected, his old friend Beilstein would be able to come over, along with Harris, the Oblivion God, and Kurkova, the Death God, who could also return from the Origin Realm.

What's more, the two bodies Yu Yuan left behind in the Origin Realm and Desolate Realm would be able to make their way here.

Heesters, having only briefly sensed through the Time River, knew just how formidable those two incarnations of Yu Yuan were.

He had a hunch that either of the Yu Yuans from the Origin Realm or the Desolate Realm could match Stephanie, the God of Destiny, in combat prowess.

With the two Yu Yuans joining the fray, the cataclysmic plans of the Origin Spirit to destroy the world through the Origin Domain might stand a better chance of being thwarted.

"It's futile," Stephanie interjected abruptly.

Heesters, looking perplexed, inquired, "He's a sovereign well-versed in the powers of space. With his mastery, he should have the ability to bridge the Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm."

"The one who killed Devitt is now in the Origin Domain. Unless this little dragon surpasses him, no new pathways can be opened," Stephanie said, swiftly dampening everyone's spirits.

Zhong Chichen expressed his resignation, "I really don't have the confidence to surpass him at this point."

"In truth, we don't even need any sort of void passage anymore. Once the Origin Spirit decides to commence the merging of worlds, most of the peculiar worlds will gradually integrate into the Origin Domain," Stephanie revealed, dropping a bombshell and adding, "The Origin Realm is least likely to be an exception."

Her revelation sent shockwaves through the group, and Yu Yuan turned sharply towards her.

"What?"

Having arrived in the Origin Domain and encountered deities from foreign lands, as well as transcendent beings like Heesters and Stephanie, even the usually reserved Divine King Taishi couldn't contain himself, exclaiming, "Could it be that the Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm were originally split off from the Origin Domain?"

"I believe that's the case," Stephanie responded vaguely, then turned to Heesters, "How much longer until your hourglass arrives?"

"Not long now."

"Good, we'll wait for your hourglass to arrive."

Following their exchange, the two otherworldly figures lapsed into deep thought.

Yu Yuan, Taishi, Youyu, Qi Yunhong, and the Qiongqi-like Origin Beasts, all thrown into disarray by Stephanie's revelation, fell into a contemplative silence.

If the Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm were to eventually become part of the Origin Domain and merge with this world, then Yu Yuan's two bodies would naturally be able to reach the Origin Domain. In that case, Zhong Chichen's extra efforts would be unnecessary; it was simply a question of when.

Subsequently, everyone gathered in front of the Creation Star River, waiting patiently for Heesters's hourglass. Yu Yuan, meanwhile, was far from idle. He unleashed strands of blood energy imbued with his divine consciousness, shaping them into streaks of crimson lightning that surged ahead of his physical form into the Creation Star River, darting through the enigmatic and peculiar expanse.

He soon came to realize that the Creation Star River was much more expansive than he had anticipated. The flesh and essence power that allowed him to traverse the Starfields of the Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm in a short time proved to be incredibly limited once inside the Creation Star River. Moreover, it wasn't long before the blood energy he sent out seemed to be assimilated by the Creation Star River, blending into the river's immense energy.

"The Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm together might not even match the vastness of this Creation Star River," he speculated to Youyu and Taishi.

"You might as well include the abyss in that comparison. Even all three worlds combined would still fall short of the Creation Star River," Stephanie added, turning to face them. "And while the Creation Star River is the most enigmatic and largest region within the Origin Domain, it doesn't constitute the entirety of it."

Everyone was visibly astounded. The sheer scale of the Creation Star River surpassed that of the abyss, the Origin Realm, and the Desolate Realm. Just how immense was the Origin Domain? It was no surprise that many of the worlds beyond were believed to have originated from the Origin Domain, having branched off from it.

Days later, a massive turtle with a dark red shell approached breathlessly from the direction of the spring. Upon spotting Heesters, it called out from afar, "Lord Heesters!"

"The God of Fear, Tuye!" Qiongqi gave the newcomer a stern look before informing Yu Yuan, "Like Dickinson, this Tuye is a god transformed from an alien beast, also known as an Origin Beast."

Yu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment. As the dark red Origin Beast neared, he connected with a lifeform from his body's blood reservoir. The Starry Behemoth of the Origin Realm, the Monolith Tortoise, shared a similar bloodline with the God of Fear, Tuye.

After Tuye's arrival, Heesters quickly sensed something and inquired, "What happened to the Spirit of Fear inside you?"

"It attempted to take over my body after the Origin Domain was revived. I endured a fierce struggle to fend off its possession. Realizing it couldn't dominate me, the spirit eventually fled from within me," Tuye responded with deference.

He then noticed, to his surprise, that the God of Destiny was present. He bowed hastily and said, "Lady Stephanie, I had no idea you were here. I was too distant earlier to notice your presence. Please accept my apologies."

Stephanie continued to gaze toward the Creation Star River, seemingly oblivious to his plea for forgiveness.

Tuye's interactions with Heesters and the Qiongqi were fraught with nervousness, and his words stumbled out awkwardly.

As Heesters probed with additional questions, Tuye's hesitant responses were interspersed with furtive glances at Stephanie, betraying his deep-seated fear of the God of Destiny.

Yu Yuan observed the exchange with a keen eye.

"It appears that gods from across the various worlds are being drawn into the Origin Domain for a multitude of reasons," Heesters concluded after delving deeper into the matter with Tuye. He learned that gods from thirty-six worlds had been inadvertently pulled into the Origin Domain while traversing the void.

Interestingly, some gods had reached the Origin Domain even before Heesters and Yu Yuan.

Despite Heesters, Yu Yuan, and Stephanie having spent considerable time soaring through the Origin Domain, they had not encountered any of these earlier arrivals, nor had they seen any signs of their presence.

"They might have perished, or perhaps they've been possessed, turned into puppets by the Origin Spirit," Tuye said, his eyes swirling with dread. "Only the strong and fortunate can battle the Origin Spirit to a standstill and expel it from their bodies."

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